The Ultimate Rack System

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 23 Aug 2002 5:56 am

I would like to hear folks opinion of the ultimate rack system.

I have an 8 space shock mount rack flight case that is empty. I own several rack mount effects units including a Lexicon PCM 70, TC Electronics M300, Alesis Q2 (2) ProfexII and a partridge in a pear tree

What is the ultimate setup in your opinion? Of course, I'd like to use one of my effects units in it.

Consider weight when thinking of a power amp.

BTW.... I have a Sans Amp PSA1 that I will use in this for the regular guitar front end.
I'll bet that there are some good steel sounds somewhere in this box... I just haven't bee able to find them.

------------------
Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 23 Aug 2002 6:31 am

I used a rack system for a number of years which was pretty near perfect. It had a Kern bass preamp for clean steel sounds, a Lexicon MPX G2 for all the effects, a THD Univalve head (used as a preamp) for rock and roll sounds, a BBE sonic maximiser for controlling overall eq, and a VHT 2-90-2 tube power amp. This is a sweet sounding rig.

These days my son plays bass through the Kern and the VHT, and I play most gigs or sessions with a THD BiValve and a Addrenalynn stomp box. If it's a country gig I might bring the Holy Grain reverb box, too. If it is a loud jazz gig I might bring a Motion Sound amp (with guitar leslie) in addition to the THD.

Mike Weirauch · Post by **Mike Weirauch** » 23 Aug 2002 6:35 am

Steve, my rack consists of a Stewart World 1.2 power amp, an Evans LV single space pre-amp and a Lexicon MPX 500 into a pair of custom made tweed cabinets loaded with 15 inch Black Widows. I also have a Lexicon MPX 1, an LXP-1 & LXP-5, a transtubefex and 916 Profex II's along with a vast assortment of combo amps from Peavey to Evans. The rack described is by far the best sound I have found for my ears.

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 23 Aug 2002 6:50 am

this is my rack system, have this for 3 years now, and I'm very happy with the sounds.
It contains a Mesa Boogie Studio- pre-amp,
Roland GP 100 processor and a DTR 1 tuner. See the whole connection- traffic here:

JJ www.steeljj.com
[This message was edited by Johan Jansen on 23 August 2002 at 07:54 AM.]

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 23 Aug 2002 6:52 am

Out of curiosity... Didn't Peavey make a rack mount all tube power amp? I would be interested in hearing if anyone used these as well.

The Stewarts seem to have a good rep but Jeff Peterson commented in another thread that Evans preamps really should be matched up with a tube amp. Of course, this now becomes hernia city

Is John Hughey still using an Evans rack unit and if so, which one?

------------------
Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas
Emmmons/Mullen/Remington
Evans

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 23 Aug 2002 7:03 am

Interesting.... Regarding the Mesa Boogie pre-amp. Is this the same quality as the Evans stuff? I know that PF uses one of these, but really, when I think Mesa Boogie, I think "head banging rock" with lots of distortion

------------------
Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas
Emmmons/Mullen/Remington
Evans

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 23 Aug 2002 7:13 am

Steve, shure you can head-bang with it, but the clean channel is really clean, with a lotta punch and headroom!
JJ

spelling..

[This message was edited by Johan Jansen on 23 August 2002 at 08:13 AM.]

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 23 Aug 2002 7:15 am

I love my Stereo Steel amp and Boss GX-700 combination.

"Unfortunately" it's only three rack spaces total and about 30 pounds, including the rack case.

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 23 Aug 2002 7:45 am

Cool.....
I have located a Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp for sale. I'm going to go pick it up tomorrow. It is pretty inexpensive, so if I don't like it, I'll just sell it.

I didn't realize that this is a tube preamp until I read the reviews. I think I'll try it with the Lexicon unit. BTW... the MB has a built in tube reverb. How does it sound?

------------------
Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas
Emmmons/Mullen/Remington
Evans

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 23 Aug 2002 8:54 am

Steve, the Peavey tube power amps are good. The older one has two pairs of 6L6 tubes and is about 60 watts a side. The newer one has a quartets of EL84s a side and is 50 watts per side. They sound good, as do the Mesa Boogie tube power amps. But they don't have a whole lot of clean headroom. I prefer the VHT 2-90-2 amp, because the clean headroom of the KT-88 tubes in these is just amazing (2 KT-88s per side at 90 watts a side). The low end of this power amp has to be heard. It kills for C6th. I've got to say that the MossValve is almost as good, but every bit as heavy.[This message was edited by Dan Tyack on 23 August 2002 at 09:59 AM.]

Mike Weirauch · Post by **Mike Weirauch** » 23 Aug 2002 11:25 am

Is John Hughey still using an Evans rack unit and if so, which one?

he is using a Stewart 1000, Lexicon MPX-1 and an Evans HV pre-amp into a pair of cabinets with 15 inch JBL's.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 23 Aug 2002 3:01 pm

Steve, I had a Mesa Boogie Studio preamp for a while, and the reverb sounded too "springy" for me, nothing like a Fender reverb. I was already using a Digitech 2112 and liked it, so I sold the preamp to John Macy. As far as I know, that is what he still uses.

------------------
Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 23 Aug 2002 4:05 pm

Mesa Boogie V-Twin rackmount preamp with 5751 (12ax7) tubes, VHT 2/90/2 poweramp, Lexicon MPX-1 FX unit, Korg DTR-1 tuner, Furman power conditioner, all into (2) JBL E130s in Genz Benz cabinets.

I guess there will always be new fun toys to lust after in the quest for that sound we all hear in our heads, but my purchasing leveled right off after acquiring my current rig. I think it's just terrific!

It is heavy, though, but I split it up into 2 smaller racks.

IMO, the VHT 2/90/2 is the mother of all power amps (that I've tried). It's incredible and made a huge difference immediately after I first hooked it up. Back to you, Dan....[This message was edited by Steve Feldman on 23 August 2002 at 05:09 PM.]

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 23 Aug 2002 4:55 pm

The inputs on my main rack are a Demeter Tube Bass Pre and an Evans pre, they input into a Mackie 1604 VLZ, from there they are sent to a TC Electronics Gold Channel which is the I/O for a TC Electronics M-5000 with 4 "engines" and/or an Eventide H-3000 Ultra Harmonizer, and/or a Demeter Real Reverb (springs). Or the effects can be chained in any order.

The output of all the effects comes back to the mixer where I can blend how much of which one in the chain. Typically I chain the "engines" of the M-5000 and chain the Eventide after the M-5000.

If I'm using the sampler (EIV Ultra), I send the pitch to MIDI signal to a couple of Axon converters which control the sampler. I made the volume pedal so that the volume pot and the CV pot are on the same shaft so the volume of the sampler tracks the volume on the guitar. I make my own samples so that when I play the guitar into the delay line, the samples "chase" it and blend with it and if need be, the samples can be fed into the delay chain with the guitar.

If there's going to be a lot of "grind", I send the guitar to a Peavey Rock Master, a tube pre with two levels of overdrive and then to a Metasonix Hellfire Modulator back through a Roland SN 700 Noise Eliminator.

The guitar that goes with this is a Super Pro with EMG pickups. The EMGs will cut through all of this and still sound like a steel guitar.

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 24 Aug 2002 3:39 am

Chas.... that is some very serious money in your rack! I'll bet it sounds good.

I checked out the VHT amps. A little pricey, but not horrible. They are heavy though. The 2-90-2 is 35 lbs! I'd probably need to rack it by itself

Since weight is a consideration, I'm leaning towards the Stewart stuff. There are some very good prices available if you do a web search.

I'm leaving for Houston in about an hour to go check out the MB preamp.

------------------
Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas
Emmmons/Mullen/Remington
Evans

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 24 Aug 2002 4:50 pm

Steve--tall paper and I'm currently "churning the plastic" to build a computer rack to go with it.

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 25 Aug 2002 8:51 am

My Rack System is simple.A Roland Gp-100.A Mosvalve 500 or 1500.Not ultimate but an inexpensive and very effective set-up for ME.I use Peavey 115 Cab's with 1501 SB speakers. .....bb[This message was edited by Bobby Boggs on 25 August 2002 at 10:38 PM.]

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 25 Aug 2002 10:09 am

Steve, I'm playing a Mullen through a Tube Works/Mosvalve 500 system including the RT921 Real Tube Reverb [which is a MUST have w/this system IMO] Sweetest sound on the planet, but HEAVY! 6 spcs., a little noisy, out of production and maybe somewhat dated, but wonderful sound!

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 25 Aug 2002 9:24 pm

I don't think my rack system is "ultimate", but it's pretty darn good for 4 spaces...
<ul>[*]Mesa V-Twin preamp
[*]Lexicon MPX-100
[*]Mesa 50/50 power amp[/list]
I run the V-Twin into the Lexicon, and the Lexicon into the 50/50. I've pretty much optimised the gain structure on the V-Twin to match my steel, so I use the Output Level knob on the Lexicon to control my volume. The 50/50 is always full on.

I also run my Roland HandSonic (an electronic drum) into the rig. I simply plug its stereo outputs into the V-Twin's Effects Return jack, and set the Effects Mix knob at halfway. The HandSonic has its own volume control. It's a pretty simple setup, really.

I run a MIDI cable into the Lexicon from the drummer's clock. This keeps my echo patches in time (lots easier than tapping).

I'm pushing two 12" EVM's which really don't have enough low end for some of the HandSonic patches (or for C6th, if I played C6th, which I don't). Our bass player works at A. Brown Soun and he's talking about bringing some Tone Tubbies for me to try. (I wonder - do the airport dogs bark when they smell hemp speaker cones?)

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)